KU architecture professor Dennis Domer shares March 16, 2008

Kansas University Boat House under construction at Burcham Park. Domer said the design is a good example of a straightforward, modern look that is still appealing and functional. "What I like is that the conditions of the use and the site were the big determinants in this design, not a desire to mimic the style of Rome or Greece."

Fire Station No. 5, 1911 Stewart Ave. Domer praises the building for how it fits on the site and allows natural light to come in from nearly every angle. But he especially likes that the building makes the right statement about the times. "It looks advanced technically, and you wouldn't want a backward-looking fire station," he says. "It has this 'we're ready to go' image."

The Oread Inn, proposed for 12th and Indiana streets. Domer said the hotel project on the edge of the Kansas University campus is out of scale with the neighborhood, but more importantly relies too much on centuries-old architecture.
Paul Werner, an architect who worked on the project for the Fritzel family: "Certainly the Fritzels are known for a more traditional design. We were trying to balance that with the fact we didn't want it to look like a university building, but we did want materials that would be here a long time like brick and stone."

The handful of residents at the Bella Sera at the Preserve complex are hoping that soon will start changing as an area bank works to take over the multimillion dollar condominium development along Bob Billings Parkway near Wakarusa Drive.